topic Re: False and misleading advertising? in Buying

False and misleading advertising?

tcrenhartofohpwa_9 — Wed, 09 May 2018 12:25:09 GMT

Why do advertisers say they are an " AU" seller or an Australian seller, when they're clearly not?? They're from overseas.

Also " item locations " they state , are also false.

I ordered " X' items from a supposedly "Australian seller".....in Dampier Western Australia ? Alarm bells went off.

It took so much longer than estimated to arrive, so when I inquired , the response was 'goobledegookenglish' and less than reassuring .

When it arrived, it clearly had an overseas postal service lable on it , that explains the lengthy delivery time. Definitely not from Dampier WA !!!!!!

I do hope that Ebay cracks down on this nonsense .

If the item comes from O/S ,the seller should say so and not pretend to be " Aussie" and not put " Australian seller" on their ads.

Re: False and misleading advertising?

countessalmirena — Wed, 09 May 2018 12:44:31 GMT

Hello, tcrenhartofohpwa_9,

Unfortunately eBay will not take action; the majority of the offending sellers doing this are actually members of eBay.cn (eBay China).

As you're probably aware, law concerning copyright and seller behaviour differ very markedly in China in comparison with Australian law.

It is annoying, but we who are eBay buyers must simply take a little care when making purchases... Click onto the seller's details to see where the seller is based, for instance, and check the negative feedback to see whether there are several comments talking about the seller's location (and item location) not being in Australia, but rather in China.

Re: False and misleading advertising?

tcrenhartofohpwa_9 — Wed, 09 May 2018 14:18:02 GMT

thank you for your reply, and yes, its bloody annoying !!!!!!!!!

In that case, Ebay Australia could come up with some sort of ID for genuine Australian sellers, or a logo that identifies the seller as a genuine Australian , but that ID can then only be issued by Ebay Australia and no-one else and cant be copied, cut, pasted, faked etc. There are algorithms that prevent that I'm sure .

The same could be applied to other Ebay countries.

That way, if the seller says they are an Australian seller,.........they really are??

I appreciate this may take additional resources for Ebay , but for those like me that prefer , ' buy Australian First' , it would be really helpful. It would save a lot of confusion....and frustration.

However, this is just a suggestion .

Re: False and misleading advertising?

gutterpunkz05 — Thu, 10 May 2018 02:46:22 GMT

@tcrenhartofohpwa_9 wrote:
thank you for your reply, and yes, its bloody annoying !!!!!!!!!

In that case, Ebay Australia could come up with some sort of ID for genuine Australian sellers, or a logo that identifies the seller as a genuine Australian , but that ID can then only be issued by Ebay Australia and no-one else and cant be copied, cut, pasted, faked etc. There are algorithms that prevent that I'm sure .

The same could be applied to other Ebay countries.

That way, if the seller says they are an Australian seller,.........they really are??

I appreciate this may take additional resources for Ebay , but for those like me that prefer , ' buy Australian First' , it would be really helpful. It would save a lot of confusion....and frustration.

However, this is just a suggestion .

Can't see that making any difference. Many Australian sellers do, and will continue to, drop ship from international suppliers

Re: False and misleading advertising?

digital*ghost — Thu, 10 May 2018 03:07:11 GMT

The only way I can see this really being stamped out as much as possible is if eBay made items shipped from locations different to what's in the listing eligible for not as described cases, but aside from the obvious issues with that, it would be difficult to prove when the sellers use Aus Post via UBI, though they would obviously have late lodgement dates.

Re: False and misleading advertising?

negron18 — Fri, 11 May 2018 05:44:19 GMT

it's happening more and more unfortuantely. Buyers just need to ask as much questions as possible and ask whether they use australia post or a courrier from here.

Asking if they offer next day express post via aus post might also help determining whether its an overseas seller or just a local seller who drop ships from china/overseas.

Re: False and misleading advertising?

tcrenhartofohpwa_9 — Fri, 11 May 2018 12:47:49 GMT

G'day,

I should also have mentioned in my first post that the " so called tracking numbers" the seller provided for my ' X' parcel' were also false.

"Numbers" ...plural. There was more than one " tracking number".

There were 3. One international (??) which wasn't much help , and the other two confusing set of numbers were seemingly put together to form one loooooong number. It took me a while to figure that out and separate them. It was like two Aus. Post Tracking numbers put together ?, one said :

" its on its way" , (and never went any further) , and the other said it had "been delivered" ( at an address....other than mine ) . Wha ??? Go figure ????

I'm sure Aust Post would have something to say about that ....maybe ?

I wonder if they've picked up on that ? Misuse of their tracking services ?

Re: False and misleading advertising?

padi*0409 — Fri, 11 May 2018 12:51:31 GMT

If you take the tracking numbers into your post office they can bring it up and get more info on it than you can with their tracking site.

Re: False and misleading advertising?

davidc4430 — Sat, 12 May 2018 04:32:07 GMT

@digital*ghost wrote:
The only way I can see this really being stamped out as much as possible is if eBay made items shipped from locations different to what's in the listing eligible for not as described cases, but aside from the obvious issues with that, it would be difficult to prove when the sellers use Aus Post via UBI, though they would obviously have late lodgement dates.

this is not a new complaint, buyers have been posting complaints on the boards about chinese sellers saying they ship from within australia when they do not for a very long time.

i'm pretty sure ebay know its going on and are happy with it continuing, nothing will change.

buyers venting on the boards sure wont make any difference.

all buyers can do is 'homework' when buying, usually the first clue is right there on the item description page.

no, not item location, but feedback score. usually these sellers have lousy feedback scores. so read the feedback, read the negs they will usually have some saying 'they ship from china not australia'

it doesnt take long, but we often hit 'buy it now' before we do the homework dont we.

Re: False and misleading advertising?

tcrenhartofohpwa_9 — Sat, 12 May 2018 11:46:05 GMT

Yep , I have to agree, and I'm guilty of doing just that , hitting the " buy it now" button without doing my homework......but I will now.

I'd rather pay a bit more and buy the item here in Oz , if its available, at least I have an increased chance of it arriving on time. . Also knowing that I have ACL to turn to if things really go pearshaped helps , but if it isn't available.....too bad. I'll go without . Unless its essential.

And yes, the feedback can pretty scathing at times. But hopefully, and sooner rather than later, Ebay will get so sick & tired of the mounting complaints about this **bleep**, they will have no choice but to do something about it, but we can only dream eh?

Re: False and misleading advertising?

*tippy*toes* — Sat, 12 May 2018 13:20:17 GMT

EBay could get 1,000's of complaints a day and they won't do anything about it. The Chinese are the untouchables. They generate a lot of income for eBay, therefore eBay is happy to turn a blind eye.

As for relying on ACL, that only applies to businesses with an ABN. If you bought something from me and it goes pear shaped, relying on ACL will get you nowhere (I know that because a buyer a few years ago took me to court and they played the ACL card. They lost. I've read on here of other sellers having the same thing happen, where buyers tried to force a refund through the courts, and failed, because they tried the ACL card and failed). The only thing you can rely on (most of the time) is the MBG.

Always check feedback. It tells you where the seller is registered. If they are registered in an Asian country, 80% of the time they will ship from their country. The other 20% have warehouses in Australia. Even if feedback is 100%, check feedback because there might be neutrals, which can tell stories too.

Re: False and misleading advertising?

6sig5ver1 — Fri, 22 May 2020 07:42:05 GMT

YES I AGREE. AND WHY ARE THESE SELLERS ALLOWED TO STATE THE ITEM LOCATION IS IN AUSTRALIA , WHEN IN FACT THE **bleep** IS FROM OVERSEAS AND TAKES FOREVER.

I SPECIFICALLY DO NOT BY FROM CHINA ANYMORE ....I THOUGHT......EBAY PROVED ME WRONG.

EXTREMELY **bleep** OFF THAT I HAVE TO CHECK EVERYTHING NOW !!!!!!!

NOT HAPPY AT ALL.!!!!

@tcrenhartofohpwa_9 wrote:
Why do advertisers say they are an " AU" seller or an Australian seller, when they're clearly not?? They're from overseas.
Also " item locations " they state , are also false.
I ordered " X' items from a supposedly "Australian seller".....in Dampier Western Australia ? Alarm bells went off.
It took so much longer than estimated to arrive, so when I inquired , the response was 'goobledegookenglish' and less than reassuring .
When it arrived, it clearly had an overseas postal service lable on it , that explains the lengthy delivery time. Definitely not from Dampier WA !!!!!!

I do hope that Ebay cracks down on this nonsense .
If the item comes from O/S ,the seller should say so and not pretend to be " Aussie" and not put " Australian seller" on their ads.

Re: False and misleading advertising?

padi*0409 — Fri, 22 May 2020 07:54:13 GMT

Please stop using caps lock in your posts, it's considered shouting at people - we are just members like yourself here and don't deserve to be shouted at.

It only takes 2 clicks of the mouse to find out where a seller is registered - hardly a time-cosuming task..............

Re: False and misleading advertising?

sandypebbles — Fri, 22 May 2020 08:09:13 GMT

Too much trouble to check who you are buying from, don't use ebay

Stop screaming and swearing because you choose not to check who and what you are buying before you buy

Or do you think if the seller is really in Australia then they must be a good,decent,honest person ?